Researchers have identified a promising new class of antibodies that protects against infection from HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS.<\/p>\n
The researchers from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute in the US used an animal model to show for the first time that an antibody called Immunoglobulin M (IgM) was effective in preventing infection after mucosal AIDS virus exposure.<\/p>\n
Worldwide, an estimated 90 per cent of new cases of HIV-1 are caused through exposure in the mucosal cavities like the inside lining of the rectum or vagina, according to the study published in the journal AIDS.<\/p>\n
“IgM is sort of the forgotten antibody,” said Ruth Ruprecht, Scientist and Director of Texas Biomed’s AIDS Research Program.<\/p>\n
“Most scientists believed its protective effect was too short-lived to be leveraged as any kind of protective shield against an invading pathogen like HIV-1,” Ruprecht said.<\/p>\n
Scientists first treated rhesus monkeys with a man-made version of IgM, which is naturally produced by plasma cells located under the epithelium – the surface lining of body cavities.<\/p>\n
Half an hour later, the same animals were exposed to SHIV (simian-human immunodeficiency virus). Four out of the six animals treated this way were fully protected against the virus. The animals were monitored for 82 days.<\/p>\n
Ruprecht’s team found that applying the IgM antibodies resulted in what is called immune exclusion.<\/p>\n
IgM clumped up the virus, preventing it from crossing the mucosal barrier and spreading to the rest of the body.<\/p>\n
The technique of introducing pre-formed antibodies into the body to create immunity is known as passive immunisation.<\/p>\n
IgM has a high affinity for its antigens and “grabs them very quickly and does not let go,” Ruprecht said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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